Who's got the frogs??!!!

I'm starting to believe that most of my funny memories was when I worked with my Dad.

Not that I don't have funny stories, I do....believe me, I have plenty, but since I started thinking and writing about the times working with my Dad.....well there are just too many stories to tell. Now that I'm sitting here and going over in my mind the things that happened during my childhood with him, I want to tell everything that went on. It's hard to believe some of these stories, but I can assure you they are all real!

I was 14 years old, and it was a beautiful summer day....

Kinda looks like Cousin Richie!

We were at the Diner in the morning getting our instructions of where we were going that day. There was a crew going to a job in Mendham, and there were a few guys going to a job in New Brunswick, and then my Dad tells our crew that we were going to a job in Pennsylvania. Two things to note here. First the crew.....The crew was comprised of myself, my cousin Richie (second cousin by marriage) and Bill. Again Bill was one of my Dad's main men, a well built black man who was really like family. I thought of him as an Uncle. Then there was cousin Richie....Richie was a tall skinny, very funny man who fashioned a "Rockabilly" or "pompadour" hair style......He was cool!  I loved him!
Second thing to note was the job we were being sent to. It was a foundation (basement) that my Dad had started almost a year before and stopped because the guy wasn't paying him. Apparently after a year they came to some sort of agreement, and we were being sent to finish this job.
We drove, from what I remember, for about two hours......back roads.....big hills that had the truck screaming trying to get to the top, but we finally pulled into the makeshift dirt driveway. The second the door to the truck was opened, I heard this weird "screaming" It was a high pitched, short lived scream, then another, then another. We couldn't see the jobsite from where the truck was parked as we, from what I remember, were in the middle of the woods. As we walked over the small hill, there was the foundation.....it was now a pond. It was three quarters filled with water and there were plants growing out of it, and all around it. Then another "scream".... This time, I noticed something large jump from the bank and into the makeshift pond...."SPLASH"! Then as I got closer, I almost stepped onto this giant frog!...It screamed, and so did I....Richie was laughing his a*# off, and Bill was flipping out.

"How the Hell does he expect us to do anything here!" Exclaimed Bill "We ain't doin' nothin' here! I can't believe your father would send us here and expect us to do anything!" 

Just as he said this, the Owner of the property pulled in and told us not to worry because he had a pump, and we would be able to start within the hour. Now keep in mind that this "pond" was established, and there were hundreds of these giant frogs all over the place.
The pump did actually get most of the water out before it ran out of gas. We had to build kind of a walkway out of pallets and planks to get to the scaffold, but we eventually got started. Richie started the cement mixer, and began to mix a batch of cement.....but one of the ingredients which really isn't supposed to be an ingredient was.....FROGS! I was yelling for him to stop, but he laughed even harder and shoveled another into the mixer. Bill, who started laying the block would pull up a piece of frog on his trowel every once in a while. He wasn't amused and was yelling at Richie to stop.....that just made Richie laugh even harder.

I was gonna save these poor creatures....I was determined to save them all!

Throughout the day I was catching these frogs, and putting them in the large tool box on the back of the truck to keep them away from Richie. I guess I had around twenty......maybe thirty.  Neither Bill nor Richie knew of my deed. The end of the long day came, we cleaned up, and headed back to the Diner.

They weren't this big.....but close!

When we got there, my Dad was waiting for us to hear how much work was done that day. We all started talking at the same time about the conditions and my Dad started laughing.....mostly because we had actually finished and didn't have to go back the next day. While My dad and Bill were discussing things about the day, I hopped onto the back of the truck, got a five gallon bucket, opened the tool box, and started putting the giant frogs into the bucket. I was praying that my Dad would let me take them home. When I showed him, he was amazed at the size of them, and pulled one out to get a closer look at it. All the while I was begging him..."Please Dad, can I keep them, after all I saved their lives!?" He smiled at me and said "ARE YOU CRAZY? What are you gonna do with all those frogs?? Plus your mother will kill you if you bring them into the house......Just dump them in the woods"
I thought about it for a few minutes, then I came up with a plan that might actually work. While Dad, Bill and Richie were talking, I snuck away with the bucket of frogs. I walked up to the back door of the diner, opened it, and dumped the bucket of Giant frogs. I walked away in a real hurry, threw the bucket into the back of the truck, and just as my Dad was saying..."Okay, Lets go" There came a loud scream, then the back door flew open, and about seven men came running out of the diner.....two were almost in tears! One of these men was the Owner of the diner, and yelled in a heavy Greek accent....."Who's got the froogs!!!????" I got "ratted" out by Cousin Richie who was laughing so hard that I thought we was gonna bust a vein. Luckily for me, everyone else started laughing, except for one guy who was still crying.... I believe Frog legs were that nights special!

TIP OF THE DAY:

Another Spring tip....

Now that winter is SLOWLY moving to another part of the world, signs that she was here are visible now that we are spending more time outdoors. One thing that takes a beating during the winter is our decks. 

What you can do to give your deck a much longer life is to clean it good. Try not to use a power washer because I've seen "professionals" ruin a deck with these. The wood splinters, and you will never be able to walk barefoot on it again. The right way is to use a good cleaner, a long handled brush, and a strong hose. Deck cleaners help remove dirt, nail stains, algae and mildew. If your deck isn't brand-new, always use a cleaner before applying finish. Once the deck is dry, You should consider putting on either a GOOD water sealer, or a stain. Make sure to choose a specially formulated deck stain or sealer to repel water, resist mildew and prevent fading in high traffic areas. Sealers and stains are either water-based or oil-based. Oil-based finishes require less upkeep and less frequent recoating than water-based finishes. When choosing a stain, remember that the finished color varies based on the wood itself. If you're applying a new stain over an old one, choose a color that's similar to or darker than the original

This will add many years to your deck.

See you next time......from beyond.........